DIY

My stepdaughter moved in with us while she is taking a year off and working before continuing her education. She lives in the little studio above our garage so she has the best of both worlds, a place to call her own and her family close by. She traveled to South America for a few months but since she returned home in December, we’ve been fixing up the studio to suit her style using most of the pieces from her navy and coral bedroom I pulled together for her when she was in college.

She was in need of a small dresser that also served as a nightstand so I painted over this IKEA Koppang chest turned bone inlay lookalike from last year (she found the pattern too busy for her taste and hey it’s just paint!) My girl loves navy and white with coral or pink so I worked with that palette again. I lightly sanded the dresser and gave it a few extra thin coats of Glidden’s ‘Rich Navy’ which formed the base of the original chest makeover from last year.

I used the DeeDee O’verlays fretwork panels for this dresser, just enough to give the drawers a little contrast and curvy detail. I’ve used these panels before (see this dresser update) as have many bloggers, they are a fabulous way to get a high end look for less!

O’verlays are so easy to apply, I use cotton swabs and Liquid Nails to apply them to the surface of the drawers (make sure the paint has cured for at least 24 hours and is completely dry). This O’verlay pattern partnered with nickel ring pulls purchased at MyKnobs.com mimics the style of the iconic Dorothy Draper Espana chest.

Greetings friends and happy April Fools Day, watch out for tricksters! Today I’m sharing another print from the collection I created for spring, this is a bold brushstrokes print called Wild & Free! There are three vibrant colorways and I had a lot of fun designing this one too. I even made a dress out of the navy and pink version I loved it so much!

This pattern is an expression of purposeful imperfection – the lovely thing I’ve discovered on this fabric design journey is I can create a repeat with imperfect details (like these brushstrokes) yet within it there is symmetry and rhythm so the imperfection continues on and on through the yardage and as it flows throughout it becomes something truly beautiful in itself and I just love that.

Remember that campaign desk I painted Kelly green years ago? I’ve still got it and won’t ever part with it, the desk is one of my favorite thrift store finds! It’s getting moved to my son’s room which will be the perfect next space for its history in our home.

I made these charming little storage buckets with one yard of the Wild & Free fabric in the Leaf colorway in heavy cotton twill. It’s best to use a heavier weight fabric like twill, canvas, or denim for this project.

Step One: Use a Sharpie to outline a salad plate on both sides of your cheap plastic binder then cut out the plastic circle. (I used plastic instead of cardboard so that the bins are washable.) Yes you’re sacrificing a perfectly good binder for a greater cause!

Here’s the diagram of the cuts of fabric on a 58” wide piece of twill, denim, or canvas fabric to make two buckets. Use the plastic cut out to guide cutting out the fabric circles allowing for ½” fabric beyond edge of circle for sewing.

Hi, I'm Kate from Northern California. I'm a bargain hunter, design lover, renovator, and incurable DIYer. I'm on a quest for diamond style on a dime, and out to make my world fabulous, for less, one DIY or decorating project at a time. Learn more.